Melissa album cover
Melissa

Mercyful Fate

1983
Roadrunner Records

King Diamond’s phantasmagoric falsetto makes him one of the more divisive singers in metal (see also: Dani Filth) but if you can deal with the chalkboard-scraping he’s also one of the most charismatic, his octave-stretching howl perfect for his preferred brand of horror story. Hank Shermann and Michael Denner’s demonic dual guitars provide a fearsome foil. While they don’t stray too far from the NWOBHM formula that inspired these devilish Danes, they lean so hard into the scare show elements that it’s hard not to accept their invitation into the coven.

Jeff Treppel

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